The newest title in Barron’s expanding Aspire Series offers practical advice and reliable guidance to young men and women who are considering careers as chefs. Aspire Series books focus on a variety of rewarding career opportunities by presenting self-teaching tutorials in which students must complete a series of progressively more challenging projects. This book starts by discussing the basics of food and food preparation. Topics that entail hands-on projects include assessing nutritional values, knife sharpening, effi cient use of stoves and ranges, and learning to make stocks, soups, and sauces. More advanced projects teach preparation and serving techniques for meats, poultry, fish and shellfish, vegetables, grains, and dairy products. Additional projects cover salads, salad dressings, sandwiches and appetizers, breads, custards, and pastries. Concluding chapters familiarize culinary students with kitchen procedures that are standard in restaurants and hotels, offer advice on applying to and entering culinary schools, and discuss career opportunities in the food industry. The book is filled with more than 350 instructive color photos.